Curveball
by bernicewatson
Summary: Elena Fell for Damon pretty much the moment she met him four years ago at Columbia, but she's terrified that it will ruin their friendship if he ever finds out how she feels, and what happens when she finds out that isn't even the biggest thing standing between them A/H
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: OK so I know I told the readers of my other story that I wouldn't start this one until I finished the other one, but I'm actually a little ahead of schedule on Redemption so I figured, why not! I was way to anxious to hear your thoughts on this story, and if it's even worth continuing, let me know what you think!**

* * *

"I can't believe you talked me into watching the notebook…" he says while stretching out on my couch

"I don't know what you expected; you know that if you don't bring your own movie over we're stuck with Caroline's selection to choose from" I shrug, and lean over to grab another piece of pizza off the table

"Are you going to Stefie's big birthday bash tomorrow?" he asks

"I have a final in the afternoon, I probably won't be done in time to make it to dinner but I'll probably be able meet you guys at the bar afterwards or something"

"Ugh skip it, you already know you're graduating, finals don't matter anymore"

"You know I can't do that Damon…" I shake my head

"I know" he sighs "you're the perpetual perfectionist. I just want to see you have a little more fun" he smirks

God I love that smirk

"And I will… after graduation. Besides I promised Caroline I would at least make an appearance… otherwise I think she might've killed me" I joke

"I can't believe that woman is going to be my sister-in-law" he pretends to grimace

"Oh please you secretly love her"

"They're too young" he shakes his head

"They're not too young" I amend

"Yes they are; if I had married the girl I wanted to marry when I was twenty-two it would've been a disaster, thankfully I'm much to level headed for that" he smirks

"You level headed?" I scoff "besides… Rose cheated on you, you had no other choice. Caroline would never do that to Stefan and you know it" normally I would never say that to a person, but Damon moved past it a long time ago

"Exactly… which is only proof that if I had married her at twenty-two, I would've been divorced by twenty-three" he smirks

"Thank god for that too, now you can run around with as many women as you want without answering to anyone" I tease

"Is that so? Then why are you always grilling me about my liaisons" he teases back

"Someone has to look after you… remind you to buy condoms… those types of things"

"What would I do without you Gilbert" we both laugh

"Alright, I better get to bed; I have class early in the morning"

"Yeah me too, now that I have a bog boy job and all" he says sarcastically

"Oh yeah, I forgot to ask you how you're liking it" I ask

"It's advertising… what is there to like, I make up bullshit all day so people will buy some piece of shit merchandise" he smirks

"So in other words you love it" I say, reading him like a book

"Yeah I love it" he agrees, and we both laugh

"You can just stay here if you want" I offer

"And look like I'm doing the walk of shame in the morning?" he acts shocked "I'd love to" he kicks his shoes off, and sprawls out on the couch

"Don't tell me you have spare dress shirts in your office desk like Don Draper" I tease

"Wouldn't you like to know Gilbert, wouldn't you like to know" he winks

"Goodnight Damon" I say with a mixture of giggles

"Night 'Lena"

* * *

The bar is packed tonight, glancing around for my friends I finally spot them at a couch in the corner

"Hey guys" I say and take a seat next to Damon

"You made it" Caroline shrieks even louder than normal

"How much has she had to drink?" I ask Damon

"Too much" he laughs

"Ugh, why don't you guys ever stop her?"

"Because drunk Blondie is always so much more fun" he shrugs

"Heyyyyy, that's not true" Caroline slurs

Damon just laughs and I can't help but join him

"Here, drink this" Stefan comes back from the bar with a glass of water

"Hey birthday boy" I stand to hug him

"Thanks, I'm so glad you could make it"

I've always liked Stefan, just not like I like Damon; which is funny because Stefan and I are so much more alike, we're both English majors, we like the same books, the same music, the same movies, and we both have very old souls.

Damon on the other hand drives me completely insane, we don't have much in common except our need to be right all the time, we argue about everything, we rarely agree about anything yet, everything about him makes my stomach do flips... I guess opposites really do attract.

Well… kind of, since Damon doesn't reciprocate my attraction

"Will you dance with me" Caroline asks Stefan, I can tell she's trying her hardest not to slur

He shakes his head

"But it's my birthday" she pouts

"No, it's his birthday" Katherine comes sauntering over, correcting Caroline

"What if I told you I had a very special birthday dance planned for you" Caroline says seductively, she probably thinks she's whispering but we can all hear her

"I think we'd all like to see that" Damon says and wiggles his eyebrows at Stefan

"I would say you should probably save it for when we're home alone" Stefan glares at Damon

"Oh for god sakes just dance with the girl, have some fun" Damon laughs

Stefan finally caves and pulls Caroline onto the dance floor

"Hey Kat, when did you get here?" I lean in to ask her

"Oh I was at dinner with them earlier, I was just in the bathroom when you got her" she smiles

"Where's Bonnie?" I notice our other best friend isn't here

"She home studying, you know Bonnie, she doesn't like to leave anything to chance" she laughs, Katherine is Bonnie's roommate, she's also become a good friend of ours over the past four years at Columbia

"Sounds like someone else I know" Damon nudges me

"Hey! Better safe than sorry" I say back

"Someday you're gonna regret that motto" he says with a raise of his eyebrows

I swear I see something in his eyes that I rarely get to see, it's almost like lust and it sends an electrifying feeling right to my core

Some random guy walks over to our table and asks Katherine to dance, interrupting our moment

"And then there were two" I say

"Wanna dance?" Damon asks

It's not rare for him to ask me to dance when we're out, we both like to dance and we're usually the only single ones in the group

"Sure" I stand up and follow him on the dance floor

The beat is a fast one so we start swaying together, Damon grabs my wrist and spins me around so that my back is to him, he wraps his arms around me so that my back is pressed against his chest

I sway my hips a little against his front and I can feel the affect I have on him through his tight jeans, I'm not stupid, I know I'm an attractive girl and he's a man after all, it's a natural reaction, it doesn't go any further then that .

"I've never met anyone who can move their hips like you" he says in my ear

"Oh please, with the multitudes of women who occupy your bed all the time I'm sure that's not true"

"Whoa, I was talking about your dancing skills, who said anything about a bed… get your mind out of the gutter Gilbert" he teases me

"If you think my hips move good now" I smirk suggestively

"You're a dangerous woman Elena" he smirks back

It's not rare for us to flirt either; it's something we just sort of fell into when we met four years ago

The tempo of the music speeds up, and so do our dance moves, I continue grinding into him as he holds one hand against my stomach, the other sliding up and down my arm sensually

I try to keep my bodies reaction to him minimized, but I can never seem to control the goosebumps that erupt every time he touches me, I just hope he never notices

"I love how responsive you are to me" I feel his breath on my ear, and I instantly feel more liquid pool between my thighs

I know he means on the dance floor, because we've always been good dance partners, always anticipating the others moves, but my lust makes me want to tell him that I would be much more responsive without our clothes on

"I need to get some water" I spit out before I manage to say something that I would regret forever

I break free from his hold on me and make my way to the bar, after I get my glass of water I sit back down on the couch

I need to pull myself together, I can't let my feelings runaway from me like that…

I don't ever want to say anything that could ruin my friendship with Damon, our friendship is more important to me than anything else.

I glance back over to the dance floor and notice that Damon has already moved on to Katherine; I feel a pang of jealousy shoot through me

This is ridiculous Elena, get a grip I tell myself, Damon tells me about all of his girls, and the only thing he has ever said about Katherine is that he think she's a little bitchy sometimes, he's never even mentioned her being attractive.

Although she is, she has the most beautiful curly hair I've ever seen, legs a mile long, and the curves a Victoria secret model would sell her soul for… she wouldn't go there though, my friends know about my secret feelings for him and they would never do that to me… even if I am too scared to ever admit my feelings to him

I turn back around and take a long gulp of my water, willing the images of them together to leave my mind…

After the song ends Stefan and Caroline join me on the couch

"What are you doing all alone over here sulky" Caroline asks

"I'm not sulking, I'm just tired… some of us had finals today you know" I defend myself

"So… I saw Damon leaving our apartment early this morning" She wiggles her eyes suggestively

"Ew, Care… that's my brother, and she's my friend. Can you please save it for girl's night?" he shakes his head

"Relax Stefan, there's nothing to talk about" I laugh

"Ugh you guys are so boring, I can't believe you're both still sticking to the 'we're just friends' story after all this time"

"That's because we are just friends…"

"Friends don't look at each other the way you guys do" she pushes

"Well it doesn't matter anyways, I don't want to ruin our friendship, he's always there for me, and I don't know what I would do without him"

I tell myself not to look back at the dance floor again, but I can't help it, I'm drawn to him like a moth is to a flame

When I glace over I can't find him or Katherine anywhere

"I wonder where they went" I try my best to sounds like it's no big deal, despite my bad feeling about it

"They probably just went to the bar for a drink, or outside for some air or something" Stefan says, trying to comfort me

"Probably" I agree

"'Lena, stop worrying, Kat would never go there"

I nod

She would never go there…

Its girl code right?


	2. Chapter 2

Caroline and I stand side by side in front of a our full length mirror, making sure there aren't any wrinkles in our gowns, that those age old caps are sitting nicely on our heads, and that any fly-away hair are sprayed back into place

Today is graduation day, and I couldn't be more ready for it

"I can't believe this day is finally here" she sighs and looks herself over one more time

"Remember when we were freshman, it seemed like time here went by so slowly, now looking back at it all it kind of just flew by" I smile sadly

"No sad faces today, only happy ones because today we start our journey towards bigger and brighter things!" she shouts

"They should've just hired you for the commencement ceremony" I laugh

"Whatever, you know it's true" she nudges me

"Yes, it is. Soon you'll be the new Mrs. Salvatore and you'll be running the event planning world" I pretend to tip my cap to her

"You bet your ass I will be" she bows

We both laugh

"Oh! I almost forgot the champagne" she runs over to our fridge and pops open the bottle "what's a celebration without champagne" she hands me a glass

"It's not a celebration at all" giggle

"To our friendship and our future!" she rises her glass "To my best friend and my maid of honor, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for always being there for me"

"Ditto Care" I smile

"Cheers!" she shouts

"Cheers" I repeat after her

We both take a sip and wipe away some moisture collecting at our eyes

"I really do love you Lena"

"I know, I really do love you too Care"

"We better get going if we don't want to miss this thing"

* * *

"Caroline Forbes" the announcer calls

I quickly grab my phone and snap a picture of her and her new diploma

"Jason Forrester" they continue calling names

I glance around the crowd for my family, and find Damon sitting a few rows behind me so I wave

As soon as he sees me he quickly looks away as if he's trying to pretend he didn't notice me

My heart feels like it's dropped into my stomach, I've had a bad feeling ever since the night of Stefan's birthday party… we've talked on the phone but it's felt like he's been avoiding any face to face contact, and this just pretty much confirmed it

"Elena Gilbert" They call

I quickly push all negative thoughts to the back of my mind; force myself to stand and walk onto the giant stage

I pause and turn towards the crowd for pictures as I grab my diploma

"Thank you" I say to the dean when he moves my tassel to the other side of my cap

After taking my seat, I turn back around to Damon, this time his eyes meet mine and he slightly smiles, but only for a second

I move back around in my seat to face the front, and tell myself not to overreact, it could have nothing to do with me, he could just be upset about work or something

"Congratulations to the graduating class of 2010!" the announcer shouts

We all stand up and cheer

This is my moment; I shouldn't let anything get me down

* * *

"Ok, how about one more of you and Jeremy under the tree" my aunt runs around with her camera

Jeremy and I move under the tree and I cant help but squeeze him

"I can't believe you're here!" I squeal

"I wouldn't have missed it for the world" he hugs me back

After we've taken ever possible combination of family pictures I notice Damon finishing up a conversation with one of his old professors, he looks over at me and waves

"I'll be right back" I tell my aunt Jenna, before walking over towards him

"Hey, congratulations" he says

"Thanks" I smile

"Yeah you did great, no tripping, no dropping the diploma" He smiles slightly and shoves his hand into his pockets; something he usually does when he's nervous

"No, nothing like that" I smile and look down

"I remember when I graduated, I was a little tipsy… that's a big surprise huh, I did trip and I reached out and grabbed the robe of Marcia Hadley, who was so not the person to grab …"

"Damon" I interrupt his rambling

"Yeah?"

"Are we ok?" I go straight to the point

"Of course, yeah. Why wouldn't we be?" he says quickly

"Well, I just… I kind of felt like you've been avoiding me" I feel embarrassed for even bringing it up

"No, I've just been really busy at work" He shuffles his feet

"Oh ok" I don't believe him for a second

"Seriously Lena, everything is ok" his hand reaches out and hesitates for a second before brushing my hair behind my ear

"Will I see you tonight? Jenna and Caroline's mom are throwing us a graduation dinner"

"Of course, wouldn't miss it" he smiles

"OK, see you then" I smile, not sure what else to say… things have never been this weird between us…

It hits me as I'm walking back to my family, maybe he knows, maybe someone told him how I feel about him

Katherine was really drunk that night… maybe they went to get some air and she let it spill…

I'm suddenly horrified, because if that's the case then my worst fear is coming true; he doesn't feel the same way…

If he did he would have said something…

I'm sure of it

* * *

"She's one of the strongest people I know" my aunt starts, everyone is taking turns toasting the graduates "I watched this girl grow up and triumph any hurdle thrown her way when most people would have just crumbled, watching you grow up has taught me to never give up, that no mountain is too high to concur, even if it may seem like it is. You're an inspiration to us all, Elena Gilbert; your parents would be so proud of you" she says sincerely and I feel tears stinging in my eyes

"Thank you Jenna" I hug her "for everything, I couldn't have been strong without you" I add in a whisper

"I'll second that" Damon comes walking over with a glass in his hand, this is the first I've seen him all night "This girl has been my rock more times than I can count, I have no idea where I would be if I hadn't have met you my junior year, I doubt I would have even finished college without your encouragement, you were always my one woman pep squad, and I'm eternally grateful to you"

"Oh my god you guys have to stop" I sniffle, and wipe my eyes "I'm two seconds away from becoming a blubbering mess"

"To Elena Gilbert" Damon smirks and raises his glass

"To Elena Gilbert!" everyone repeats in unison

"Who knew Damon Salvatore was such a softy" I tease

"Shh, don't let it leave the room; I have a reputation to uphold"

I laugh

"So how bout you let me buy you a drink?" he asks

"Sounds like a deal to me" I smile

"Tequila shots?" he asks when we reach the bar

"I don't kn…"

"Come on, for old times' sake" he interrupts

"OK, fine" I cave

He orders four shots and the bartender slides them over to us

"OK on the count of three" I say

"1...2…3" he starts, and we both down a shot

"Oh my gosh that's bad" I wince

"It's not that bad, man up Gilbert" he nudges me

After we do the second shot I star to loosen up a little, I've always been a lightweight

"What was going on with you earlier" I finally ask, thanks to my new found liquid courage

"Nothing…" he shrugs

"Oh come on" I interrupt him "I know you better than anyone and I know you're hiding something from me… you never hide things from me, and to be honest it's kind of freaking me out a little bit"

"It shouldn't freak you out" he brushes off my concern

"Well it does…" I don't back down

"Something's are just better left unsaid ok…"

"Oh so, you're speaking in clichés now…" I scoff,

"I don't want to hurt you, ok?" his voice has an irritated edge to it

"Oh my god…" he knows…I start to panic

"What?" he looks confused

"I can't believe her" I feel anger rising up inside me

"Who? What are you talking about?"

"Katherine… I trusted her"

"Wait… she told you?" he looks like he's about to start panicking

"Told me what? No, I haven't seen her since the night of the party…" realization starts to dawn on me "over two weeks ago…because she's been avoiding me too" it hits me like a ton of bricks

"Elena…"

"No, Damon… I don't want to hear it" I shake my head

"You don't even know what I'm going to say…" he's starting to get defensive

"Unless the next words out of your mouth are 'I didn't sleep with Katherine' I don't want to hear it"

His face tells me everything I need to know

"I can't believe you" I shake my head "What was your plan, were you just going to let me continue to hang out with you guys and leave me in the dark about it all"

"I didn't know how to tell you…"

I shake my head in disgust, jump off the bar stool and head towards the door

"Hey where are you going?" Jenna stops me

"I just need some air" I force a smile

She nods

Once I'm outside I lean over with my hands on my knees, telling myself to calm down. I breathe in and out slowly, trying to return my breathing to normal

"Elena" he calls from behind me

"Stop" I hold my hand up when he starts to move closer

"I'm sorry ok" he pleads

"Why. Why did you have to sleep with her…? She's my friend"

"I know…" he looks so ashamed

"Do you have feelings for her?" I ask without knowing if I even really want an answer

"No! I was drunk and stupid… I didn't think" he pulls at his hair in frustration

"It was hard enough seeing you with girl after girl all these years and then you have to go and do this" my breathing starts to become erratic again

"What?" he looks confused

"Don't act like you didn't know…"

"Know what?"

I scoff and shake my head

"Elena…" he slowly approaches me "know what?"

"I was fine ok, I was fine with keeping it all to myself, but this" I wave a hand between us "hurts too much, it hurts too much and I can't keep doing it"

"Doing what? You really have to fill me in here"

"Pretending like I'm not in love with you!" it all comes spilling out before I can stop it

The look on his face is that of pure shock

"You really didn't know?" I ask

"How would I, it's not like you've said anything in the past four years" he spits out

"Oh, now you're mad?!" I scoff

"Four years Elena, four fucking years and you couldn't find one moment to tell me how you felt?!" he shouts

"Calm down"

"No! You've been lying to me for four years! So don't you dare tell me to calm down" he throws his hands up in defeat

"I didn't lie to you, I just didn't tell you!"

"Oh, like that's any better" he shakes his head "its technicality and you know it!"

"Why are you mad anyway…?" I look at him accusingly "You're not the one who's just been humiliated…"

"You don't think that knowing I hurt you doesn't hurt me too, because it does… it kills me, Elena… I feel like an idiot"

"Why" I say defiantly, not backing down for once

"Because maybe if I had known sooner things would be different"

"Oh please, it wouldn't have changed anything" I deny

"You don't think I haven't thought about it?" he moves closer to me "because I have, plenty of times. Believe me, you've been the star of many fantasies"

Whoa, where did that come from?

"I just liked what we already had so much that I didn't want to taint it with sex" he explains

"Maybe it would've been more then sex" I add

"Maybe, but that wasn't a chance I was willing to take, I care about you too much"

"Wasn't, or isn't?" I breathe as he takes his final step towards me, anymore and we would be flush against each other

He pauses to think about it before he answers

"Wasn't" he whispers

My eyes widen in response, as he begins to lean in closer to me

As soon as I feel his lips touch mine, the butterflies in my stomach kick into over drive. Instinct begins to take over and I wrap my arms around his neck as he cups my face with his hands. He turns his face to the side for better access and runs his tongue along my bottom lip, I open my mouth to him willingly and slide my tongue along his; he tastes heavenly, like scotch and mint

He pulls back to allow us some much needed air and looks me in the eye, he looks completely bewildered

"Why the hell didn't we do this sooner?" he asks

"I don't know" I whisper

"We have a lot of lost time to make up for" he smirks and captures my lips again

I could definitely get used to this

* * *

**END A/N: Hey everyone! You guys totally blew me away with all of the follows/favorites/reviews! A reader brought it to my attention that the description is a little confusing on if this story is present time or not, so just to clarify it is present time, but there will be a time jump soon! Let me know what you guys think, your opinions are very important to me! Above all else though, have a great weekend!**

**Bernice**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: what's that? And update?! I am so so sorry that this took so long! In the past couple months I've visited 3 cities, 3 states, and 2 countries, it was a crazy and amazing experience, and then my boyfriend proposed, so I was still getting over the shock and excitement of that. Now that my life is returning to normalcy I promise I will be doing regular updates! and it's extra long to help make up for lost time **

**Also… This chapter is definitely rated M **

* * *

**Elena's POV**

Damon and I come tumbling though my apartment door, all lips and flailing limbs.

After he kicks the front door shut with his foot, he quickly pulls my shirt over my head, not wasting any time. He lifts me up and presses my back against the wall and presses wet opened mouthed kisses on the parts of my breasts that are not covered by my bra

"Bedroom" I gasp out

Without a word, he carries me over to my room and gently lays me down on my bed before crawling on top of me

"You're so beautiful Elena" he runs his finger across my cheek before leaning down to kiss me tenderly

Our kiss quickly starts to heat up again, not wanting to waste any time I reach down for the hem of his shirt and pull it up over his head

God this man…

I run my hands down his shoulders to his chiseled chest

He reaches behind me and undoes the clasp to my bra, freeing my breasts from their confinements

"So perfect" he groans before leaning down to pull one of my nipples into his mouth

I let out a whimper, an honest to god pathetic whimper, because it's all I can muster right now

"Damon" I moan, begging him to give me more, I grind my lower body searching for some sort of much needed friction, I moan when I come in contact with his thigh that's resting between my legs

When his attention shifts to my other nipple, I start shamelessly grinding on his thigh, needing some relief

Sensing my distress he reaches down with his free hand, undoes the button of my pants and dips a delicious finger inside

"Oh god" I let out as his finger makes contact with my clit

"That's it baby, scream for me" his voice is so sultry that I swear I almost cum right then and there

He pulls my pants down further for better access and dips his finger into my core

"Yes" I moan

"Right there?" he curls his finger and hits the magic spot

"mhmm" is all I manage

"You're so beautiful like this, cum for me 'Lena"

So I did.

Slowly I start falling back down for my high

"You ok?" he smirks

"Never been better" I giggle

"You're entirely over dressed" I comment when I notice he still has his jeans on

"Am I now?" he leans down and presses another kiss to my lips "why don't you do something about it" he challenges

"It would be my pleasure" I lean over to pull his pants down his body

I take a deep breath and pull his boxers down; I never thought this moment would actually happen.

After he's completely naked he lean over to me and kisses me

"Are you sure about this?" he asks, looking me directly in the eyes

"Absolutely" I say with complete confidence

"Ok" he smiles and positions himself at my entrance

He reaches up to push some stray hairs away from my forehead, leans down to kiss me and slowly pushes inside me

Inch by delicious inch,

When he's finally all the way in I'm amazed by how well we fit together, he's not too small, and not too big, he's perfect.

I move my hips a little, letting him know it's ok to start moving

"Oh god, Damon" I moan as he slowly starts moving in and out of me

"So, beautiful" he pants between labored breaths

His hand trails down my leg to me knee, lifting it to hook over his hip

I groan at the delicious change of position

"Faster" I beg

He starts to pick up his speed, and it's unlike anything I've ever felt before

Damon's movements start to become jerky and uneven, I know he won't be able to last much longer

As if he can read my thoughts he reaches down between our bodies to rub his thumb across my little nub, and just like that I spiral into bliss all over again, only this time I take him along with me

Our bodies collapse together, neither of us moving, for fear of popping this amazing bubble we've created

"Oh man" he lets out a heavy sigh

"What?" I begin to panic that maybe he's starting to regret what we just did

"No, no nothing bad" he eases my worry "It's just that, that was… amazing" he smiles and rolls over to face me

"Yeah, it was" I smile back at him

"What do you say we get some rest, you wore me out Gilbert" he laughs, and pulls me into his embrace

"Sure" nuzzle in to him

I start to drift to sleep with a smile on my face, everything is going to be ok, maybe for once things are going to go the way I want them to, I mean sure it's not the ideal situation, he did just sleep with one of my best friends but we'll cross that bridge when it comes, I'm sure Katherine will be happy for me, she's known how long I've wanted this.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

I wake up to the sound of a lawn mower somewhere outside; slowly I realize I'm not in my own bed

I smile as last night's events start to reply in my mind, man if I had known what I was missing out on all along I wouldn't have fought my attraction towards her for so long

And on top of all that, she told me she loved me.

Now I'm well aware of that fact that I didn't say it back, not because I was too scared, but because I didn't want to rush things

I know I like her, a lot actually, but I'm not sure exactly what love is, and I'm not going to reciprocate those words until I'm absolutely positive that I know I mean it.

I reach over to her night stand for my phone

One text message from last night

**From: Katherine **

**We need to talk, call me**.

Oh geeze, what we had was a one night thing, and I was positive that a girl like Katherine understood that, I didn't think I was going to have to deal with left over emotions from that mistake of a night…

Ignoring her text I place my phone back on the night stand, grab my pants from the floor and head to the kitchen

I pull out all the ingredients to make my famous pancakes, and search the fridge for blueberries, since those are Elena's favorite

I put the bacon in the pan and get to work

"Mmm something smells good" she says as she wraps her arms around my middle from behind

"You better be talking about me and not the bacon" I tease

"Maybe it's little bit of both" she smirks

"Let's eat shall we" I lean in to kiss her before grabbing our plates and heading to the table

"So, what should we tell people" she asks after taking a bite of food "Or should we not say anything?"

"Uh, well… I mean" I pause to collect my thoughts "I mean I guess we can tell them whatever you want to tell them"

That didn't exactly come out right, I notice her try to hide her disappointment

"Shit, Elena… That's not what I meant, look; I like you a lot and I'm not very good at this, all I meant is that I want to explore what this is between you and I without everyone else's input" I smile "that being said, I know Caroline is your best friend, and I'm not going to ask you to lie to her, if you feel like you need to tell her then that's up to you"

"I'll think about it" she smiles

"Ok" I reach across the table and grab her hand

"Shit" I say out loud

"What…"

"Random question that I probably should have asked you last night… Are you on birth control?"

"Um, yeah" she looks down trying to hide her blush

"Don't get embarrassed" I rub her hand

"I know, it's silly; it's just still weird hearing us talk about these things, I mean we went from friends to a relationship, in like ten hours" her eyes widen "I mean not a relationship… a you know.. I mean… that's not…" she continues to scrounge up the words she's searching for

"I think relationship is the word you're looking for" I say easing her panic

"Really?" the relief in her voice in palpable

"I mean yeah, why not… it might seem like we're moving fast, and yeah… in some ways we are; but then in others it seems like it's been four years in the making, we're both just finally in the right place at the right time" I smile, shocking myself by the truthfulness of what I've just confessed

"I agree, it feels right" she smiles

"Let's celebrate" I suggest

"I think we already did… last night" she smirks at me

"Elena Gilbert… you little minx" I laugh "as much as I enjoyed last night and as much as I look forward to repeating it again sometime soon, I was thinking more along the lines of dinner, let me take you out on a date"

"A date, like a real one?" she asks skeptically

"Flowers, dinner, a movie, hey even dancing if you want, but yes a real date"

"Ok" she answers simply

A shrill phone rings from inside her bedroom, interrupting our conversation

"I have to grab that, it might be work. I'll be right back though ok"

She just nods

"Hello" I answer

"Damon…"

"Ugh, seriously Katherine… what do you want"

"I need to talk to you"

"Look I've known you for what like 4 years… and I could probably count all the times you've called or text me on one hand, so what the hell is so important"

"Not over the phone, can you just meet me later, like around 5 o'clock?"

The only thing that is telling me to agree is the shakiness in her voice; normally Katherine's voice is purely laced with cockiness

"Fine, where?"

"The Coffee Shop on 9th Street"

"Ok" I agree

"Ok see you then"

I shut my phone and place in pack on the nightstand

I take a few deep breathes and try to push this nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach away before returning to Elena

"Hey" she smiles warmly at me "Everything ok?"

"Yup, just the office like I thought" I kiss the top of her head, not knowing why I lied to her

"I have to run actually, they need me to come in for a couple hours to approve some proofs" why did I lie again "but I'll be back here at 6 o'clock sharp, to pick you up for our date, so be ready for the night of your life Ms. Gilbert" I smirk

"I will, Mr. Salvatore" she walks me to the door a gives me on last goodbye kiss

* * *

After leaving Elena's house I went straight back to my place, knowing that I didn't really need to go to work

I need to approve some proofs… what the hell was I thinking, I never lie to her, and what is with this gnawing feeling in my stomach…

I just had one on the best night of my life; I should be over the moon right now, but instead all I feel is this cloud of impending doom hanging over me.

After taking a quick nap, I hop in the shower and get dressed for our date, knowing I won't have time to come back here after I meet with Katherine

I walk into the coffee shop I spot her in a booth near the back

I don't order anything because I don't plan on staying any longer then I have to

"Hey" I greet her as slide into the booth

"Hey" she sounds broken… there's not a trace of her usual self-confidence

"What's up" I ask

She just sighs, as if she's trying to figure out where to begin…

"Are you ok? Did something happen?"

Not a word

"Helloooo" I wave my hand, trying to bring her back from la la land

Nothing.

"Did someone hurt you?"

She just shakes her head

I start to lose my patience

"Well what's going on Katherine, you call me and demand a meeting and then now you're not saying a word and …"

"I'm Pregnant" she keeps her eyes downcast on the table

"I'm sorry you're what…"

"Pregnant" she repeats coldly, finally lifting her head up to face me

I don't say anything

"Damon…"

"You're not suggesting it's mine are you" I laugh bitterly

"Yes Damon, I am"

"Well then you're even more insane then I thought" I shake my head

"I'm not insane, you're the only person I've been with in the last month, and I'm 5 days late"

"These things happen all the time, maybe you're just stressed out or something" I shrug

"Yeah that's what I was hoping for too, so I went to the doctor just to make sure, and they did a blood test…I'm pregnant Damon"

"Stop..."

"The timing is right, from the night we slept together"

"I Said stop it" I cringe at her choice of words; the timing is not right at all, it's all wrong.

"Look this is the last thing I want to be happening; with the last person I want it to happen with, but it is happening, there's nothing we can do about it now"

"How the fuck did this happen?" I ask

"Well I mean we weren't exactly careful, we didn't use a condom"

Damn it, what is wrong with me lately, first forgetting with Katherine, then Elena…

"Aren't you on some kind of pill or something?"I bark out, annoyed with my own lack of responsibility

"No" she shakes her head "I had some kind birth control of shot, turns out it expired right before we got together"

"This can't be happening" I shake my head, hoping that it will wake me up from this nightmare

"Well it is, and I can't do this alone Damon" she look so defeated, it breaks my heart

"I know, I know; god… I just… I need to wrap my head around all this"

"I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow, they're going to tell me the due date, you're welcome to come if you'd like, it might help if you see everything firsthand" she suggests

"Uh, yeah I'll be there, what time should I pick you up?" I ash

"11 o'clock?"

"Ok" I nod

"See you tomorrow Damon" she grabs her bag and heads for the door, not bothering to wait for a response

I glance at my watch and notice its 5:45

"Shit… Elena" I mumble to myself

Knowing there's no way I'll be able to focus enough to take her on a date tonight I quickly write her a text

**To: Elena**

**I'm so sorry but something's come up, **

**I'm gonna have to reschedule our date **

**I'll fill you in soon. **

I know that sending her a text is the cheap easy way out and by no needs up to the standards that she deserves but if I were to call her now she would immediately sense that something was wrong as soon as she heard my voice

How did this happen… why is the universe determined to take away my happiness…

Ok, I'll admit… I'm not exactly the nicest guy on the planet, I'm even a little mean sometimes, and hey, maybe I had this coming… but Elena; Elena doesn't deserve this. She doesn't deserve to be hurt by my failures and mistakes, and that exactly what's going to happen.

Not wanting to see her disappointed response I power off my cell phone, start the engine to my car and head in the direction of the nearest dive bar.

* * *

**Elena's POV **

"Wait! You and Damon?!" I pull the phone away from my ear as Caroline continues to scream "I mean it's about damn time Elena, we all knew this was bound to happen, we've just been waiting for you guys to come to your senses"

"I know, I'm really glad we were both finally honest with each other, I'm really happy Care" I smile

"Good, no one deserves it more than you 'Lena" she says sincerely "Oh my god, you know what this means!"

"What?" I laugh

"If you guys get married, we'll finally really be sisters!"

"I think it's a little soon for that, we're just going on our first date tonight" I laugh "that's actually why I called you, I wanted your opinion on whether I should wear the brown or black heels with my green dress"

"Brown definitely. So where is he taking you"

"I don't know, I guess he's going to surprise me, god I still can't believe this is happening Care, it all still feels like a surreal dream"

"You better call me later, I want all the details! Or you know in the morning, if you're too busy to call tonight " she squeals

My phone chimes in my ear

"Oh text message, maybe it's from him" I giggle, it's ridiculous how happy I am

My smile fades after I read his text

"'Lena, are you still there"

"Oh uh, yeah"

"Was it from him?"

"Yeah it was" all my enthusiasm suddenly gone

"Well, what did he say, was it something dirty? Ohhh a dirty picture maybe? Wait, ew; gross that's my future brother… forget I ever said that. Did say where he's taking you? Oh come on, don't make me pry it out of you" she sighs

"Uh no; change of plans… he's not coming"

* * *

**End A/N: Haaaaard chapter to write, I've gone over it and over it, hopefully you guys like the end result, please leave a comment letting me know what you think,. I know a lot of you are going to be disappointed, cause a few begged me to not let this happen, unfortunately that's what the whole story is based around, but I promise it won't always be a sad story, just stick with me .**


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